Judge Wrestles With Environmental Claims Against Border Wall (1)

A federal judge struggled Dec. 16 to determine how much power he has to review President Donald Trump’s effort to build and strengthen a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.

During roughly three hours of arguments, Judge Trevor N. McFadden of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia meticulously worked through claims in the case, quizzing both sides on whether he should grant the Trump administration’s bid to dismiss a pair of lawsuits backed by environmental groups.

The Center for Biological Diversity, Defenders of Wildlife, and the Animal Legal Defense Fund are behind one of the cases McFadden ...